I’m trying to find the words to describe how I feel hearing the news of Lute Olson’s passing. The Arizona coaching legend made an impact on so many lives, and so many have their “Lute Story.” My Lute story intertwnes with my childhood passion- basketball.
For as long as I can remember, Arizona basketball has been my biggest sports passion, and the reason is quite simple. Lute Olson created a community of people that stretch from so many different background who all enjoyed some of the highest highs when it comes to being a fan of a team.
For me, it wasn’t just about the winning teams. Lute was one of the best there was at finding the small guys and making them larger than life.Growing up, I was always one of the smallest guys on my basketball team, so instead of that getting in the way of my first love in life, I tried to be like Khalid Reeves, Damon Stoudemire, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Jason Gardner, and the list goes on.
I was brainwashed by two parents who are Wildcat Alums, but it was Lute who led a style of play that could make the young, short kids lke me who loved the game, think they could do anything on the floor.
Point Guard U wasn’t just a saying at Arizona, it was a feeling of pride. As a kid I always wanted to push the ball up the floor like Mighty Mouse, shoot from the outside like the JET, make risks to get steals and play relentlessly. That was Lute Olson basketball.
What Lute accomplished during his time at Arizona was nothing short of amazing. He took a very mediocre program and made it an NBA factory. He took a team just happy to be competing in the PAC-8, to rattling off one of the best runs of consecutive tournament appearances ever. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, he took a college town in Southern Arizona and gave it an identity.
Everyone should experience just once, the buzz in the air around Tucson when the Wildcats have a big game. It’s all anyone talks about, all anyone wants to be part of and it’s something now that everyone, no matter what your background or where your from, can relate to.I played golf last weekend with someone before teeing off, I’d never met. I came to find out that he worked for the UofA Alumni Foundation. Naturally, the conversation started and ended with Wildcat hoops. I’m a fan of a lot of other teams across many other sports but there is no other fan base where two strangers can just start rattling off such in-depth conversations about a team, than is the case consistently when it comes to the team that Lute built. It’s just what being a fan of Arizona is and will always be.
Now as an adult, I still envy what Lute made of himself. The way people he coached or coached with speak of him is incredible and the bast number of relationships he maintained over such a long tenure as coach, and beyond is just extraordinary. It’s something you look at and hope hope to emulate in your own life in the way you treat people and the relationships you maintain over time.
Lute Olson was a mentor in the truest form. So in the end, thank you Lute. Thank you for some of the greatest memories of my childhood. You are Arizona basketball, and it’s my hope that the team, the athletic department, the university and the fans never let the legacy you created fade away.
You will be sorely missed.